Saigon to Siem Reap with RV La Marguerite Cruise 8 Days

Day 1: Embarkation - My Tho - Cai Be

Register between 11.00 to 12.00 at Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel. Transfer overland by coach to My Tho port for embarkation aboard of Indochina Sails’ ship for journey from the Mekong Delta to Holy Angkor. We embark the ship at 13.30. Welcome drink served in Saigon Lounge for a short briefing followed by a lunch served in Mekong restaurant. Your cabins are ready for check in after lunch. After port clearance formalities captain raises the anchor and cruises towards Cai Be. Join the Cruise Manager at Saigon Lounge for safety demonstration and briefing at 18: 00 followed by Captain’s Cocktails. Enjoy the first gourmet dinner onboard with fellow travelers. After dinner join us for the folk performance of Mekong Delta at Saigon Lounge. We moor overnight midstream near Cai Be.

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Day 2: Cai Be - Vinh Long - Sa Dec

After breakfast we take a morning junk trip around Cai Be to see a floating market, and go ashore to visit the French Gothic Cathedral and colorful port area, with its colonial buildings, delightful flower gardens and local rice paper manufacturers. Back to the boat at 12.00. Enjoy lunch while our vessel sails toward Vinh Long - the Vietnam second biggest city by the Mekong river. Visit to the bustling afternoon market. A visually stunning boat ride and walk through the market, where all manner of aquatic life were being sold, as well as a lot of everything else edible and imaginable. Cocktails and briefing from 18.30 followed by a dinner in Mekong restaurant. After dinner the ship raise anchor and cruise to Sa Dec. Tonight ship moors midstream of the Mekong River near Sa Dec.

Day 3: Sa Dec - Tan Chau

After the breakfast follow guides to the hometown of Marguerite Duras’ lover, quaint little city. Visit the old house of Huynh Thuy Le’s, partake in the bantering of local markets along the paved river banks, pagoda and the Fujian Temple, build and donated to the city by Le’s family. You will pass by the home of Marguerite Duras from across the riverbanks. We spend the rest of the day to cruise to Tan Chau. Join the lecture onboard on "Vietnam - The Past & Present". We arrive in Tan Chau - the Vietnamese town on near the border with Cambodia on the Mekong River. Our cruise ship moors safely at the riverbank of Tan Chau. After dinner join us in the Crew Show in Saigon Lounge.

Day 4: Tan Chau - Border Crossing

Today will truly be a highlight with a visit of Tan Chau - a small town untouched by tourism. Morning excursion start with sightseeing by local boats, navigate narrow channels to visit an evergreen island. You will have a chance to visit floating fish farm and travel along the tiny tributaries where slit houses are haphazardly leaning on one another. Then you will go ashore and have a tour around the town on rickshaw (Xe Loi). Then we will visit a rattan mats and slippers making factories. Go back to the ship and enjoy a lunch while the ships departs for border. In the afternoon Cooking Class performed by our Executive Chef at Saigon Lounge, while the border formalities are going on. We cast off for an overnight cruising the main Mekong channel, an international shipping route to Phnom Penh.

Day 5: Phnom Penh

Today is also busy day with many interesting sightseeing and activities In the morning, we will have sightseeing by bus in Phnom Penh. Royal Palace, the spectacular Silver Pagoda and the National Museum with outstanding displays of the Khmer crafts will be the places that you will visit. Places where you visit in the afternoon will help you know more about a part of Cambodia’s history: the Khmer Rouge’s grim Toul Sleng (S21 detention center) and the Killing Field. If you want to spend more free time for yourself shopping or taking a tour around the city instead, please inform to the Ship Manager. Cocktail hours from 18.30 to 19.30. Dinner is served from 19.30 to 21.00. After dinner, please join the Khmer folk dances and songs at the Saigon Lounge. Before midnight you can hang out in the bars many of which are located just opposite the dock.

Day 6: Phnom Penh - Chong Koh - Oudong - Kampong Tralach

Early in the morning our vessel will sails towards little known village Chong Koh. After breakfast we go spend time in Chong Koh silk weaving village for a morning walk at leisure. Back to the ship 10: 00. Join the lecture onboard “Cambodia - The Past and Present” presented by our tour guide while the ship cruises toward the Prek K’dam, where we start our afternoon tour to Oudong Between 1618 and 1866 Oudong was the capital of Cambodia, built on the top of Phnom Oudong. This hill is made up of a series of stupas and shrines in a variety of conditions. However we do not climb the hill by a steep stairway with 509 steps as we join our tour guides to the Buddhist monastery at the foothill. After Oudong we take 45-minute bus ride to Kampong Tralach, visit to Wat Kapong Tralach Pleu and then take a 20-minute ox-cart ride to the Tonle River traveling through countryside and a small village on a dusty road, past rice fields and amused locals. Go back to the ship and cruise to Kampong Chhnang.

Day 7: Kampong Tralach - Kampong Chhnang - Prek K’dam

Kampong Chhnang is a busy rural port town with bustling markets. Mooring mid-stream, we make a truly wonderful motorboat excursion into the lakeside wetlands that form the mouth of the river. Here a stunning variety of birdlife may be seen, and of considerable interest are local life and floating village. Go back to the boat and cast off towards Prek K’dam - a small village that is around 35km away from Phnom Penh. Time for packing and prepare for Farewell Cocktail this evening. The ship docks overnight in Prek K’dam.

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Day 8: Disembarkation - Tonle Lake - Siem Reap

Breakfast is served from 6.30 - 8.00 in the Mekong Restaurant. After breakfast, bid farewell to crew and disembark at Prek K’dam at 8.30. We take 5 and a half hour bus drive to Siem Reap with stop at Kampong Thom. We arrive about 13.30 at Le Meridien Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap.

Price in US $ per person

Trip Include:

Welcome and Farewell Dinners, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner including local beers, local brand spirits and local wines served during meals; coffee, selection of teas, selection of herbal infusions, local mineral water, local canned soft drinks served free through the day.

Transfers between the ship and the to meeting points at the start and end of the voyage

Cruise Information

La Marguerite, a 46 room French colonial style vessel that recalls the elegance of the Art Nouveau period in Paris, raises the bar of river cruising in the Mekong Delta. She offers an unparalleled cruise experience between Saigon and Siem Reap. The dining experiences add sparks to a personalized river adventure while the carefully researched excursions to cultural destinations allows for passion revival.

The Concept

A holistic and creative cruise. Perfect for connoisseurs, family vacation, friendship bond building, RV La Marguerite also stimulates the mind and enriches your physical well being. Its unique concept sets it apart from the rest. This 8 days 7 nights cruise offers a distinctive way of experiencing the Mekong through the passion of Marguerite Duras. The guided tours to historic and cultural sites, local attractions, museums and galleries are developed to enrich personal experience, enriching lives passion and inspiration

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Interior Decor

The Interior Design by TTT Architects incorporate colonial French details and ornaments, local artifacts and Mekong styled furniture to replicate a true colonial feel set in premier and luxurious comforts.

Emergency & Food Safety

Smoke detectors are placed in all cabins and public places. Emergency lighting and generator, fire hydrants and fire hoses, fire extinguishers and life jackets are carefully selected for your comfort and safety.

RV La Marguerite follows strict control of food handling related to the receipt, storage, processing, display, packaging & transportation are strictly adhered to for your total enjoyment and safety.

All crew members of the RV La Marguerite are trained in both emergency and non-emergency First Aid

Wine & Dinning

Mekong Restaurant: Paired legendary European cuisine, traditional and Vietnamese-Cambodia fusion highlights Marguerite Duras' passion for exploring multi sensory dining. A culinary celebrations of aromatic taste and texture adds pleasure to the palate, senses, memory and emotions. All meals are served at this restaurant.

Saigon Lounge: Indulge in a splendid afternoons and evenings with a variety of soothing and relaxing chill out music. The Saigon Lounge gently sets the mood for sophisticated tastes and discerning palates.

Panoramic Lounge: The Panoramic Lounge is set right in front of the vessel and one could see the panoramic views of the Mekong River thus allowing the travelers to revel in the beauty of the countryside. The Panoramic Lounge allows one to quieten the mind, and opens all the five senses necessary for the reviving the passion for everyday living.

Sun Deck Bar & Pool: Head to the Sun Deck and enjoy the sun by the dipping pool where you'll find refreshing and invigorating concoctions and snacks that are created and served using the freshest ingredients. You can sip to your heart's content with relaxing views of the Mekong Delta.

Spa Treatment

The spa onboard RV La Marguerite is a sanctuary - a refuge from the hurried pace of modern life with its pristine and exquisitely colonial and Zen vibe, an ideal environment in which to explore the remarkable restorative powers of quiet repose, personal attention and total indulgence on the mind, on the body, and on the soul